Package Description
A murderous gangster, Oswald Cobblepot grew up fascinated with birds, in part because his widowed mother ran an exotic bird shop. Nicknamed "The Penguin" by his cruel classmates, the villain would ultimately take his revenge on the citizens of Gotham City, earning him the attention of the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin. He is both devious and ruthless, usually flying from the scene if his crimes.
Appearance
Penguin has a new sculpt made in the style of the Bronze Age Batman. I’m not sure if the costume he wears is from a specific comic, but the general style and appearance is correct to go with the Batman from this series. The orange vest and purple pants is a little campy, but adds some visual flair in addition to going well with the campier style of the Batman. Penguin is short too, so it’s good to see that height is taken into account in new sculpts that don’t use an existing generic body. The nose is a bit extreme, but also fits the general style of the figure. The rest of the figure is done in a fairly realistic style compared to the art style of the period, but the figure made the transition well.
The proportions of the figure are good. The arms may be a little long, but he’s short and portly, which fits my own vision of the character. The different layers of the coat, vest, and shirt also add a texture and distinction unique among figures of this series. There are a lot of details sculpted in the figure, most in the form of wrinkles in all of his clothes. There is a paint wash on the vest and not on the coat, which works visually because the vest is so much brighter than the coat. The head sculpt is where the details are really put in at an exceptional level. There is everything from individual teeth to his sagging cheeks sculpted in. The grimace is also good for display and indicative of his criminal nature.
There are no problems with paint application on my figure, although there’s much less paint wash on this figure than other figures in the series. None of the joints are very visible or obvious, which is unusual for a figure in a suit. The umbrella accessory also looks good, although it can be hard to pose him with it, especially with the gun clipped on. Overall, I have no problems with the appearance of this figure. Penguin was well executed with a clean paint application and sculpt. He fits my personal image of the character perfectly.
Articulation
Penguin has ball shoulders, and pin jointed ankles, knees, and elbows. Penguin also has a “T” crotch, which is different from the other figures in this series. Penguin does have good range of motion in the head, and generally gets good range of motion in the joints he does have.
Poseability
Penguin can’t do very dynamic poses, mostly because of the “T” crotch. However, Penguin’s not really a fighter so it was never really an issue for me. The umbrella is a great addition to this figure, because he can do fighting poses with it that he otherwise wouldn’t have. It is easy to tell his umbrella looks like a gun while not sacrificing the appearance of the umbrella, and he poses well with it. Penguin can do signature Penguin poses fairly easily while maintaining his balance. It can be hard to get him to hold the umbrella, especially to point it. But Penguin looks great fighting against Batman, with other Batman villains, or by himself. Penguin does everything I would expect from Penguin, and looks great too.
Final Judgment: 7
Considering the character is a short portly man, this figure came out very well. There’s a layering to this figure in the clothing and the face that makes this figure look good. A lot of articulation was not necessary on this figure too, since he doesn’t fight with his fists. Not sacrificing appearance for articulation was a wise choice for this figure, and I think the excellent qualities of this line as a whole shine in this figure.
SCALE
10. My favorite possession.
9. My favorite action figure.
8. One of my favorite action figures.
7. An excellent action figure.
6. A good, but not exceptional action figure.
5. An adequate action figure.
4. Not worth the money I spent.
3. I'll give it to somebody's kid.
2. I'll give it to somebody's dog.
1. It's going to lose a fight with my car.
